The DSM IV (The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, volume 4) is the latest and current version of the standard handbook of "mental illnesses" as determined by the American Psychiatric Association (APA). What comes into question with this manual is the manner and method by which these supposed mental illnesses are determined and by whom. Using the DSM IV, a psychiatrist need only label the patient with a "mental disorder", prescribe him a drug and bill the patient's insurance or Medicaid. The psychiatrist with the DSM in hand can try various labels on the patient as if they were different sizes of apparel until he finds one that either fits the patient's symptoms or comes close enough to allow him to bill the patient's insurance. The question is: Do any of these "disorders" or "mental illnesses" actually exist? Does the DSM have any relationship to a patient's actual condition or is it a convenient and simplistic method of compartmentalizing symptoms without actually working to isolate the true cause of the patient's real problems. Read the Full Article

If you thought your friends and family were normal, you may not be so sure after reading the DSM IV. For example, let's take your friend Suzy who, due to a series of failed relationships, thinks all men are brainless creeps. According to the DSM, Suzy is suffering from "Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder" (billing code 302.71). How about your buddy Allen who spends hours a day on the Internet. Allen definitely sounds like he has "Obsessive Compulsive Disorder" (billing code 300.3), not that he enjoys reading, researching or playing Internet games. Or how about Mom, who is depressed over the death of her brother? Mom is obviously "Bipolar I" (billing code, 296.51), or if she has been depressed more than 2 months she could have "Bereavement Disorder" (billing code, V62.82).

Aunt Dorothy hates to go to parties or any social gathering because she feels uncomfortable or shy. Aunt Dorothy must have "Social Phobia" (billing code 300.23). Even Dad has problems. With his sometimes volatile temper due lack of work and money problems, Dad must have "Intermittent Explosive Disorder" (billing code, 312.34). If you look through the DSM IV you will discover that normal behavior or personality quirks are conveniently labelled as "mental illnesses". Why? Only in this way can the psychiatrist prescribe drugs to handle his patient's "condition". However, this simplistic system of labelling a person with a "mental disease" disregards and fails to get to the bottom of any real life situations that may be causing the person stress or difficulties. A drug is a nice, pat solution which only leaves a person numbed and less able to cope rationally with his or her life situations. Read the Full Article

For 52 years, psychiatrists have promised, with each new edition of the DSM, scientific research backing up their claims for all their newly invented "mental illnesses" listed in the DSM.

In 1952, the American Psychiatric Association published the first edition of the DSM which had about 60 different mental disorders. In 1968 they published the DSM II. The first two editions of the DSM categorized mental illness into psychosis and neurosis -- "psychosis" being considered the more severe break with reality, and "neurosis" being defined as a distortion of reality.

In 1980, the DSM III came out, having adopted a supposed "medical model" (chemical imbalance theory) for mental illness and adding more categories. However, no clear definition of the cause of these many different "mental illnesses" were provided or defined. In fact the DSM III had this to say:

"For most of the DSM-III disorders . . . the etiology [the cause or origin of a disease] is unknown. A variety of theories have been advanced, buttressed [supported] by evidence not always convincing to explain how these disorders come about."

The APA admits it has no idea of what causes these supposed "mental illness" while at the same time it feels completely confident in its ability to diagnose and "treat" these same "illnesses". If you're starting to think this sounds a bit weird, it is. Read the Full Article

"The way to sell drugs is to sell psychiatric illness."Carl Elliot, University of Minnesota

“The low level of intellectual effort was shocking. Diagnoses were developed by majority vote on the level we would use to choose a restaurant. You feel like Italian, I feel like Chinese, so let’s go to a cafeteria. Then it’s typed into the computer. It may reflect on our naiveté, but it was our belief that there would be an attempt to look at things scientifically.”psychologist attending DSM-III-R hearings, quoted in Time magazine

"Only in psychiatry is the existence of physical disease determined by APA presidential proclamations, by committee decisions, and even, by a vote of the members of APA, not to mention the courts".Peter Breggin, Toxic Psychiatry